A Good Works Translation from De Bello Gallico 6.13-18
In Book 6 of the Gallic War, Caesar pauses the military narrative to describe Gaulish social classes, Druidic authority, oral teaching, sacrifice, gods, descent from Dis, and the measuring of time by nights. The passage is Roman, interested, and politically framed, but it remains one of the central classical witnesses for continental Celtic religion.
Translation
Section 13
In all Gaul, among those people who have any rank and honor, there are two classes. The common people are held almost in the place of slaves: they dare nothing by themselves and are admitted to no council. Many of them, pressed by debt, by the weight of tribute, or by the injustice of the powerful, give themselves over in servitude to nobles; over them the nobles have all the same rights that masters have over slaves. Of these two honored classes, one is the Druids and the other is the horsemen. The Druids take part in divine matters, oversee public and private sacrifices, and interpret religious obligations. A great number of young men come to them for instruction, and they are held in great honor among the Gauls. They decide almost all public and private disputes. If a crime has been committed, if a killing has happened, if there is a dispute about inheritance or boundaries, the Druids judge it and set rewards and punishments. If any private person or people does not stand by their decree, they forbid that person or people from the sacrifices. This is the heaviest punishment among them. Those so forbidden are counted among the impious and criminal; everyone withdraws from them, avoids their approach and speech, and will not risk harm by contact with them. They receive no justice when they seek it, and no honor is shared with them. Over all these Druids one man presides, who holds the highest authority among them. When he dies, either one who excels the rest in dignity succeeds, or, if several are equal, the Druids choose by vote; sometimes they even contend by arms for the chief place. At a fixed time of year they sit in the territory of the Carnutes, a region considered the center of all Gaul, in a consecrated place. All who have disputes come there from every side and obey their decrees and judgments. Their discipline is thought to have been discovered in Britain and then carried over into Gaul; and now those who want to know it more thoroughly often go there for the sake of learning.
Section 14
The Druids are accustomed to keep away from war, and they do not pay tribute with the rest. They have exemption from military service and freedom from all such burdens. Stirred by such rewards, many come into the discipline by their own will, and many are sent by parents and relatives. They are said to learn by heart a great number of verses; for that reason some remain twenty years in training. They do not think it lawful to commit this teaching to writing, though in almost all other matters, public and private accounts, they use Greek letters. Caesar thinks they established this for two reasons: they do not want the discipline carried out among the common crowd, and they do not want students to trust in writing and care less for memory. That is what often happens to many people: relying on the help of letters, they relax their diligence in learning and their memory. Above all they wish to persuade people that souls do not perish, but after death pass from some people into others; and they think that by this, fear of death being cast aside, people are most strongly stirred toward courage. They also discuss many things about the stars and their movement, about the size of the world and the earth, about the nature of things, and about the power and might of the immortal gods, and they hand these matters down to the young.
Section 15
The other class is the horsemen. When there is need and some war occurs, as before Caesar's coming used to happen almost every year, whether they were making attacks themselves or driving off attacks made against them, all these men are engaged in war. Each man, as he is greatest in birth and resources, has around him the largest number of retainers and clients. This is the only kind of influence and power they know.
Section 16
The whole nation of the Gauls is very much given to religious rites. For this reason, those who are afflicted with more serious diseases, and those who are engaged in battles and dangers, either sacrifice human beings as victims or vow that they will sacrifice them, and they use Druids as ministers for those sacrifices. They believe that unless a human life is paid back for a human life, the divine power of the immortal gods cannot be appeased; and they have public rites of the same kind. Some have images of immense size, whose limbs, woven from wicker, they fill with living people; when these are set on fire, the people enclosed in flame are killed. They think the punishment of those caught in theft, robbery, or some other offense is more pleasing to the immortal gods; but when the supply of such people runs out, they descend even to the punishment of the innocent.
Section 17
Of the gods, they worship Mercury most of all. His images are very many. They say he is the inventor of all arts, the guide of roads and journeys, and they judge that he has the greatest power for the gaining of money and for trade. After him they worship Apollo, Mars, Jupiter, and Minerva. About these gods they hold almost the same opinion as other peoples: Apollo drives away diseases, Minerva hands down the beginnings of works and crafts, Jupiter holds rule over the heavenly ones, and Mars governs wars. When they have decided to fight a battle, they usually devote to Mars what they have taken in war. When they have prevailed, they sacrifice the captured animals and gather the rest of the spoil into one place. In many states one may see mounds of these things built up in consecrated places; and it does not often happen that anyone, neglecting religion, dares either to hide captured goods at home or to take away what has been set there. A very heavy punishment, with torture, has been established for that offense.
Section 18
All the Gauls proclaim that they are descended from Father Dis, and they say that this has been handed down by the Druids. For that reason they measure every span of time not by the number of days but by nights. They keep birthdays and the beginnings of months and years in such a way that the night is followed by the day. In the other customs of life they differ from most others chiefly in this: they do not allow their children to approach them openly until they have grown old enough to bear the duty of military service, and they think it shameful for a son in boyhood to stand in public in his father's sight.
Colophon
This page translates Caesar, De Bello Gallico 6.13-18 from Latin for the Celtic continental expansion of the Good Work Library. It preserves Caesar's Roman framing while giving readers direct access to the passage as a source on Druids, sacrifice, divine names, and Gaulish religious custom.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: Caesar, De Bello Gallico 6.13-18
Latin source text from The Latin Library's text of Caesar, De Bello Gallico, Book 6. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
Section 13
In omni Gallia eorum hominum, qui aliquo sunt numero atque honore, genera sunt duo. Nam plebes paene servorum habetur loco, quae nihil audet per se, nullo adhibetur consilio. Plerique, cum aut aere alieno aut magnitudine tributorum aut iniuria potentiorum premuntur, sese in servitutem dicant nobilibus: in hos eadem omnia sunt iura, quae dominis in servos. Sed de his duobus generibus alterum est druidum, alterum equitum. Illi rebus divinis intersunt, sacrificia publica ac privata procurant, religiones interpretantur: ad hos magnus adulescentium numerus disciplinae causa concurrit, magnoque hi sunt apud eos honore. Nam fere de omnibus controversiis publicis privatisque constituunt, et, si quod est admissum facinus, si caedes facta, si de hereditate, de finibus controversia est, idem decernunt, praemia poenasque constituunt; si qui aut privatus aut populus eorum decreto non stetit, sacrificiis interdicunt. Haec poena apud eos est gravissima. Quibus ita est interdictum, hi numero impiorum ac sceleratorum habentur, his omnes decedunt, aditum sermonemque defugiunt, ne quid ex contagione incommodi accipiant, neque his petentibus ius redditur neque honos ullus communicatur. His autem omnibus druidibus praeest unus, qui summam inter eos habet auctoritatem. Hoc mortuo aut si qui ex reliquis excellit dignitate succedit, aut, si sunt plures pares, suffragio druidum, nonnumquam etiam armis de principatu contendunt. Hi certo anni tempore in finibus Carnutum, quae regio totius Galliae media habetur, considunt in loco consecrato. Huc omnes undique, qui controversias habent, conveniunt eorumque decretis iudiciisque parent. Disciplina in Britannia reperta atque inde in Galliam translata esse existimatur, et nunc, qui diligentius eam rem cognoscere volunt, plerumque illo discendi causa proficiscuntur.
Section 14
Druides a bello abesse consuerunt neque tributa una cum reliquis pendunt; militiae vacationem omniumque rerum habent immunitatem. Tantis excitati praemiis et sua sponte multi in disciplinam conveniunt et a parentibus propinquisque mittuntur. Magnum ibi numerum versuum ediscere dicuntur. Itaque annos nonnulli vicenos in disciplina permanent. Neque fas esse existimant ea litteris mandare, cum in reliquis fere rebus, publicis privatisque rationibus Graecis litteris utantur. Id mihi duabus de causis instituisse videntur, quod neque in vulgum disciplinam efferri velint neque eos, qui discunt, litteris confisos minus memoriae studere: quod fere plerisque accidit, ut praesidio litterarum diligentiam in perdiscendo ac memoriam remittant. In primis hoc volunt persuadere, non interire animas, sed ab aliis post mortem transire ad alios, atque hoc maxime ad virtutem excitari putant metu mortis neglecto. Multa praeterea de sideribus atque eorum motu, de mundi ac terrarum magnitudine, de rerum natura, de deorum immortalium vi ac potestate disputant et iuventuti tradunt.
Section 15
Alterum genus est equitum. Hi, cum est usus atque aliquod bellum incidit (quod fere ante Caesaris adventum quotannis accidere solebat, uti aut ipsi iniurias inferrent aut illatas propulsarent), omnes in bello versantur, atque eorum ut quisque est genere copiisque amplissimus, ita plurimos circum se ambactos clientesque habet. Hanc unam gratiam potentiamque noverunt.
Section 16
Natio est omnis Gallorum admodum dedita religionibus, atque ob eam causam, qui sunt adfecti gravioribus morbis quique in proeliis periculisque versantur, aut pro victimis homines immolant aut se immolaturos vovent administrisque ad ea sacrificia druidibus utuntur, quod, pro vita hominis nisi hominis vita reddatur, non posse deorum immortalium numen placari arbitrantur, publiceque eiusdem generis habent instituta sacrificia. Alii immani magnitudine simulacra habent, quorum contexta viminibus membra vivis hominibus complent; quibus succensis circumventi flamma exanimantur homines. Supplicia eorum qui in furto aut in latrocinio aut aliqua noxia sint comprehensi gratiora dis immortalibus esse arbitrantur; sed, cum eius generis copia defecit, etiam ad innocentium supplicia descendunt.
Section 17
Deum maxime Mercurium colunt. Huius sunt plurima simulacra: hunc omnium inventorem artium ferunt, hunc viarum atque itinerum ducem, hunc ad quaestus pecuniae mercaturasque habere vim maximam arbitrantur. Post hunc Apollinem et Martem et Iovem et Minervam. De his eandem fere, quam reliquae gentes, habent opinionem: Apollinem morbos depellere, Minervam operum atque artificiorum initia tradere, Iovem imperium caelestium tenere, Martem bella regere. Huic, cum proelio dimicare constituerunt, ea quae bello ceperint plerumque devovent: cum superaverunt, animalia capta immolant reliquasque res in unum locum conferunt. Multis in civitatibus harum rerum exstructos tumulos locis consecratis conspicari licet; neque saepe accidit, ut neglecta quispiam religione aut capta apud se occultare aut posita tollere auderet, gravissimumque ei rei supplicium cum cruciatu constitutum est.
Section 18
Galli se omnes ab Dite patre prognatos praedicant idque ab druidibus proditum dicunt. Ob eam causam spatia omnis temporis non numero dierum sed noctium finiunt; dies natales et mensum et annorum initia sic observant ut noctem dies subsequatur. In reliquis vitae institutis hoc fere ab reliquis differunt, quod suos liberos, nisi cum adoleverunt, ut munus militiae sustinere possint, palam ad se adire non patiuntur filiumque puerili aetate in publico in conspectu patris adsistere turpe ducunt.
Source Colophon
The Latin source was captured from The Latin Library on 2026-05-13 and inspected on disk at Tulku/Tools/celtic/sources/continental_batch_2026-05-13/caesar_gallic_war_6_latin_library.html. The English translation is a New Tianmu Anglican Church Good Works Translation made from the Latin source. Existing English translations were not used as the translation base.
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